The USA international opened the scoring inside 15 minutes with a goal of true class and composure, rewarding an energetic start from Thomas Tuchel’s men in the Spanish capital.

It ought to have been one of two or three we netted as Real struggled to cope with our movement and running in behind but the Blues lacked final-third precision and were made to pay when Karim Benzema equalised later in the first half.

Despite an enthralling contest playing out, there were no further goals and so Pulisic’s effort was handed added significance in giving Chelsea the slight edge in the semi-final, by virtue of it coming away from home. It leaves next week’s second leg at Stamford Bridge tantalisingly poised.

Shortly after the final whistle, the 22-year-old assessed the team’s performance against La Liga’s reigning champions and indicated there was satisfaction with the result.

‘It was not an easy game at all,’ he reflected. ‘The team put in a lot of work and we had to really run a lot against a tough team to play against.

‘They move the ball well and they didn’t make it easy for us so there’s some stuff we can look at to improve but overall we played a good game. It’s a good result so we’ll take it.’

There was much to admire about the young forward’s goal – the clever run into space behind Real’s high defensive line, the neat control, the composure to round Thibaut Courtois and then the calm finish to find the back of the net.

‘I felt the control could have been even better but then I turned around and saw I was pretty much one-on-one with the keeper,’ Pulisic continued.

‘I didn’t have a great angle so I took a couple more touches and then tried to be a bit composed and find the right time to get a shot off. Thankfully, it was a good goal.’

The manner of Real’s goal and the fact it came from their only shot on target in the game will frustrate Tuchel and his measly defenders but also offer hope that the likes of Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Vinicius Junior can be kept quiet again in the Stamford Bridge return next Wednesday.

The Blues will have to do more themselves to seriously trouble Courtois and, despite an away goal handing us a slight edge in the tie, Pulisic is under no illusions that it will require a monumental effort to reach the final.

‘It could have been even better,’ he added. ‘We didn’t concede too many chances but their goal came out of nowhere from a set-piece and that changed the momentum a little bit.

‘They had more confidence and made it tough for us. We could have been more clinical and scored more goals but we’ll take a 1-1 in Madrid. We’re positive going into the second leg but the job is nowhere near done.’